NEW HAVEN, Vt. (WCAX) – From the outside, Pidgeon’s Gun Shop in New Haven looks pretty ordinary. But inside, it’s a treasure trove of memories.
David Pidgeon has been repairing and selling guns for decades. “I’ve fixed 25,000 guns here in 65 years,” Pidgeon said.
He has parts for pretty much every American-made gun. “I got Remington parts that Remington doesn’t have… They’re priceless. Smith calls me for them.”
But the parts are collecting dust because at 83 and with failing health, Pidgeon’s days of working on guns are coming to a close. Radiation treatments for cancer have made his fingers unable to do detailed work and the guns he is working on now may be his last. “Yeah, it’s a struggle,” Pidgeon said.
Reporter Joe Carroll: What’s that feeling like when you get a gun working again?
David Pidgeon: Oh, it’s a great feeling, especially when they come back and tell ya, thanks. It means a lot, it means an awful lot.
Pidgeon wears his emotions on his sleeve. It goes back to when he started his business the day after graduating from high school. He recalls his mother, who did the books, giving him some advice. “‘Don’t ever lie to a customer.’ And to my knowledge, I never have. I try not to. She said, even if it costs you money, don’t lie.”
At first, the gun shop was a side business. Milking cows on his family farm took priority. He sold the herd in 1986. “When you auction them off, when they’re gone, they’re gone,” he said.
That, however, allowed him to fix and sell guns full-time. “You want one? I’ll give you a ‘Dirty Harry’ gun,” Pidgeon said. It was that kind of Smith & Wesson handgun that Clint Eastwood used in the series that made Pidgeon’s day back in the ‘70s. The guns sold like hotcakes.
Reporter Joe Carroll: Does it seem like it was 1959 when you started? Where does that time go, right?
David Pidgeon: I don’t know where it went, I really don’t.
Pidgeon has loyal customers, or better yet, friends — guys like Lanny Smith, who collected cans for cash on the side of the road when he was a kid.
“I’ve been coming in since I was 10 or 11 years old,” Pidgeon said. “I would walk the next mile, down to Dave’s Gun Shop and trade my 50 cents for a box of 22 shells.” Now 71, Smith is a regular in the store.
Reporter Joe Carroll: So, you’re not his vintage, but you’re not that far off.
Lanny Smith: I’m chasing him, chasing him down the road.
David Pidgeon: We always have a good laugh.
Along with a pearl of wisdom. “Always tell the truth, don’t ever lie. It’s instilled in me,” Pidgeon said.
A straight shooter.